In a shocking move, Ontario Premier Doug Ford poured out a bottle of Crown Royal whisky on the ground, symbolizing his discontent with the company’s decision to shift some operations to the US.
This dramatic gesture was a response to Diageo, the London-based multinational company that owns Crown Royal, announcing plans to shutter its plant in Ontario and move operations to the US, costing 200 jobs.
Ford, who has emerged as one of Canada’s fiercest critics of US protectionism, said the planned move was a betrayal and called on others to dump the product in protest.
“They’re sitting around, just absolutely as smug as they come … they’re hurting Ontario residents,” Ford said of the company’s executives.
“A message to the CEO in France: you hurt my people, I’m gonna hurt you. You’re gonna feel the pain in February when these people don’t have a pay cheque.”
The controversy surrounding Crown Royal’s decision highlights the ongoing trade war between Canada and the US, sparked by Donald Trump’s tariffs.
In retaliation, staff at liquor stores across Canada have kept American wines and spirits off the shelves, resulting in significant losses for US brands.
Sales of US spirits in Canada have plummeted, with Brown-Forman, the parent company of Jack Daniel’s, reporting a 62% drop in sales to Canada during the latest fiscal quarter.
The closure of the Crown Royal plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, will have a devastating impact on the local community.
About 160 to 200 employees will be laid off, affecting generations of families who have worked at the plant. Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue expressed his shock, noting that the town had worked hard to support the company.
Lisa Gretzky, a New Democratic party member, believes the government should pull the whisky from provincial liquor stores in protest.
“We’re not going to stand by and let you just try and squeeze a little more money out for those wealthy shareholders at the risk of 200 people in our community,” she said.
Despite the controversy, Diageo insists that Crown Royal will continue to be mashed, distilled, and aged in Canada.
However, the company’s decision to shift bottling operations to the US has taken on outsized political importance amid the backdrop of the trade war.
Canada’s provinces appear resistant to caving on the liquor boycott, with Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island stating they have no plans to bring wine and spirits back until US tariffs are dropped. “It’s still going to be banned until they cut the tariffs, or we make a deal with them,” said Ford. “It’s not coming on our shelves.”
As the trade impasse continues, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold. One thing is certain, however: the fate of Crown Royal and the workers affected by the plant closure will remain a contentious issue.